County face a tough test away at play-off hopefuls Sutton United on Good Friday, as we look to continue our winning run away from home to keep the pressure on the top three.
Dave Challinor’s side were held 1-1 at home to Salford City last Friday, giving the rest of our promotion rivals the opportunity to try and capitalise on two dropped points the following day. Whilst the sides immediately above us did drop points themselves – Carlisle losing at Leyton Orient whilst Northampton and Stevenage drew with each other – wins for both Bradford City and Mansfield Town further closed the gap between the teams at the top.
There are currently just seven points between 3rd place Stevenage and Mansfield, who sit just outside the play-off places in 8th. County currently sit in the middle, occupying 5th place in the league with just seven games left to play. A fifth win in six away from home could see us move above Carlisle, should they drop points at home to Tranmere, but defeat could also see us drop as far as 7th.
Sutton, meanwhile, sit just a little further behind in 10th and are not out of the play-off picture themselves, despite conceding a stoppage-time equaliser away at Walsall last time out. Matt Gray’s side continue to defy expectation in the Football League, and sit only six points shy of the top seven.
Things you need to know:
- Copies of the matchday programme for Friday’s game are available to purchase online now. Click here to order yours, and have it delivered to you.
- There will be a fan zone at the game available for County fans, which opens at the same time as the turnstiles and is situated in the concourse behind the spectator accommodation.
Since we last met:
Both sides were languishing in the bottom half of the table when these two sides met in October, in the first ever EFL meeting between the previous two National League champions.
A red card after just three minutes for Sutton striker Omar Bugiel made life pretty simple for County on the day, as goals from Kyle Wootton, Paddy Madden and Will Collar secured a third straight win for Dave Challinor’s side, as we leapfrogged Sutton into 14th.
The U’s reached the final of the Papa John’s Trophy final last season, and missed out on a play-off spot by just one point in what was their first ever EFL campaign. Defeat at Edgeley Park, however, was part of a difficult start to the new campaign, with just one win in nine in the league from September through to November. Just a week later, they were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Farnborough.
It wasn’t until Boxing Day that their season really started to turn, with three straight wins over the festive period against Crawley, Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon. This side have Christmas, the U’s have now lost just twice in 17 league games to propel themselves into play-off contention once again.
It is testament to Matt Gray’s side that the makeup of his squad hasn’t changed much at all from their days in the National League, continuing to overachieve in the league with the nucleus of players that won promotion as champions two years ago.
One thing that has changed since our last trip there has been the pitch, now transformed from an artificial surface to grass following their ascent to the EFL.
Far from hindering the London side, Gander Green Lane has been transformed into a real fortress this season. Only Leyton Orient and Stevenage have picked up more points at home than Sutton’s 37, and they have lost just four times on their own patch all season.
Three draws and a defeat in their last four have stalled their progress somewhat, but with safety already all but confirmed for another year, the U’s now have nothing to lose as they look to keep doing what they do best – upsetting the odds and defying all expectations.
One to watch:
The return of promotion-hero David Ajiboye at the start of the January transfer window has undoubtedly played a big part in transforming their season. The 24-year-old winger first joined the club in 2019 and was a key part of the side that won the National League title two years later, scoring scoring five times that season and being named in the National League Team of the Season.
He played in 43 of the club’s 46 games in League Two last season, scoring a further eight times before securing a move to League One Peterborough United last Summer. After finding first-team appearances harder to come by at that level, Ajiboye returned to Sutton on loan just six months later, and has scored three and assisted three in 14 games since.
Match Stats:
- There hasn’t been much to separate the two teams down the years, with just one win each in the previous five meetings. Our previous two games at Gander Green Lane have finished as a draw.
- Striker Tanto Olaofe is sure to get a great reception at Gander Green Lane – the forward made 80 appearances for the club over three different loan spells, and was their top scorer the season they secured a first ever promotion to the Football League.
